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Beth Nieman: 'Hush Money'

Jack MacTaggart, a single, young lawyer working in Pasadena, unexpectedly finds himself representing Mrs. Sydney Everett, a wealthy, much-fawned over client of the law firm Henley and Hargrove.

Mrs. Everett's usual attorney is Jared Henley, grandson of the firm's founder, but because "Jared was vacationing in Cancun or Bimini, or wherever it was that slow-witted grandchildren with trust funds went to mate with others of their kind," MacTaggart is tapped for the job.

The case involves the sudden demise of Hush Puppy, Mrs. Everett's show horse, who is found dead in his stall one morning. Hush Puppy was insured for $2 million and, naturally, Mrs. Everett expects to collect.

The insurance adjuster isn't in a hurry to settle such a large claim, and he isn't the only one who thinks the death suspicious: the veterinarian confides to MacTaggart that he's pretty sure Hush Puppy was poisoned; Tara Flynn, a talented equestrienne who manages the stables at the expensive riding club where Hush Puppy boards, believes Mrs. Everett is the kind of person capable of poisoning her own horse to collect the insurance money. "And that's the worst thing you'll ever hear me say about anybody," says Tara.

Making note of Tara's statement (not to mention her good looks), Jack pursues the truth. Their long business relationship notwithstanding, the law firm of Henley and Hargrove can't represent Mrs.

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Everett in the matter if there's a possibility she's attempting to commit insurance fraud. MacTaggart learns another of her show horses died five years earlier, netting a $1 million insurance payout for Mrs. Everett. Perhaps her horses are worth more to her dead than alive.

With Hush Puppy out of the way, Tara and her horse, Escalator, sweep the next contest against Olympic-level horses and riders. Can MacTaggart trust anything Tara says? Maybe Hush Puppy was the only thing standing between Tara and the championship.

Full of exciting details pertaining to the high-stakes world of show jumping, fans of legal mysteries will enjoy a fast-paced and entertaining read in "Hush Money," by Chuck Greaves. Mr. Greaves is a native New Yorker with 25 years' experience as a trial lawyer. He now lives in Santa Fe and is a featured speaker in Albuquerque at UNM's upcoming writer's conference in April. This is his award-winning first novel; a second novel featuring Jack MacTaggart is due out in June.

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Can you help? The children's department at Carlsbad Public Library is looking for donations of new or used LEGO bricks to start a kids' LEGO building club this summer. Bricks can be donated at the front desk or in the children's department.

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